Generally, a cosmetics case is designed to receive cosmetics, a makeup tool, and a mirror therein, thus allowing a user to put on makeup anywhere.
The cosmetics stored in the cosmetics case contain a volatile solvent. Thus, unless the cosmetics case storing the cosmetics is air-tightly sealed, the cosmetics are apt to deteriorate, so that the use of the cosmetics may be impossible. Therefore, the development of a cosmetics case having superior sealing ability is urgently needed.
Korean U.M. Registration No. 0431983 discloses an apparatus for opening and closing a lid of a cosmetics case having an air-tight sealing structure. According to the cited document, the cosmetics case includes a main body and an outer lid. The main body includes an inner case for holding cosmetics therein, a vinyl cover, and a puff. The outer lid is hinged at one end thereof to the upper portion of the main body, with a push button provided at a position opposite the hinge part. By pushing the push button, a locking protrusion is locked to or released from a locking hole of a core, so that the lid is closed or opened. In this case, liquid rubber in a gel state fills and hardens in a groove which is formed along the upper surface of a support body provided outside the inner case. Thereby, a rib of the outer lid comes into close contact with the hard rubber, thus air-tightly sealing the cosmetics case. Further, an actuating projection protrudes from the front of the push button. Thus, when the locking protrusion is removed from the locking hole of the core by pushing the push button, the actuating projection pushes up the core.
The conventional cosmetics case having the sealing structure is constructed so that the rib of the outer lid comes into close contact with the hard rubber of the inner lid, thus air-tightly sealing a gap between the outer lid and the inner lid. However, such a sealing structure is problematic in that, when the hard rubber loses its elasticity after repeated compressions of the rib, a gap is inevitably formed, so that air-tight sealing ability is lowered or lost.
Moreover, if one of the push button, the locking protrusion, the core, and the actuating projection, which constitute the locking structure of the conventional cosmetics case, is broken or damaged, the locking structure cannot be used at all. Consequently, the cosmetics case must be discarded. As such, the conventional cosmetics case is problematic in that its durability is low.